Iran Says Downed U.S. Drone Transmitted Data Before Being Shot Down in Arabian Sea
According to the report, communication with the drone was lost while it was operating in international waters. Iranian media claimed the drone had completed its mission prior to being shot down.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Iran’s official media reported on Tuesday that a U.S. Central Command drone, which was shot down near the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea, had successfully transmitted its data to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) before being destroyed.
According to the report, communication with the drone was lost while it was operating in international waters. Iranian media claimed the drone had completed its mission prior to being shot down.
The report comes amid heightened tensions in the region following a separate incident involving Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles and U.S. naval forces.
Earlier on Tuesday, the U.S. military said an Iranian drone was intercepted and destroyed after it approached the USS Abraham Lincoln in what U.S. Central Command described as an “aggressive” maneuver. Captain Tim Hawkins, a Central Command spokesperson, said an F-35C stealth fighter jet operating from the aircraft carrier shot down the drone in a defensive action.
“The F-35C fighter jet from Abraham Lincoln shot down the Iranian drone in self-defense and to protect the aircraft carrier and personnel on board,” Hawkins said in a statement.
The incident occurred in the Arabian Sea, a strategically vital waterway near the Strait of Hormuz, through which a significant portion of global energy supplies are transported. Tensions between Washington and Tehran have remained high in recent years, particularly in maritime zones critical to international shipping.